Perils of Pressure in Door-to-Door Marketing: Evidence from a Field Experiment in India

Methods for distributing products in the developing world rest on the notion that purchase stimulates usage through a sunk-cost effect. As such, entities devote substantial energy to pressuring individuals to purchase products door-to-door. This method is perilous if pressure screens in individuals who are willing to pay for a product they do not plan to use, only to alleviate pressure. We develop a methodology to ease the pressure in the sales environment.